Currently's Great Loop Route
The Great Loop is a loosely defined route that encompasses several different options and a few possible side trips. Boaters can start anywhere on the loop, but for weather reasons, people generally winter in the south in Florida along the Gulf coast ICW and the Okeechobee Canal. 

In the spring, they head up the Atlantic through the ICW canal and the Chesapeake Bay and finally up the Jersey shore and Hudson rivers. 

Then, in the Summer, they head across to the Great Lakes via the Eerie Canal or Trent Severn canal, and then across Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

In the fall, they they take the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee rivers to the TennTom canal, and then wind through the Tom Bigbee rivers and a variety of others toward Mobile Bay. and the coast. 

Currently took a couple of side trips. Our home at Chattanooga put us on the Tennessee for 500 extra miles. We went down to the Florida Keys, and up to Lake Champlain and Montreal. We also took the Rideau canal, perhaps the best part of our trip. These maps represent Currently's actual route, recorded by a GPS chip on board. 

All in all, we travelled around 6,700 miles over about 1,100 marine hours and nine months. We cut short our time in Alabama and Florida panhandle to spend more time with our kids.  We spent less time on the Atlantic ICW to spend more time in Canada, allowing for our side trips to Montreal and Ottawa. 

The book Currently Away has more details, but these are the highlights.